a little less sixteen candles
BUFFY: "I think I got his attention."
THE JUDGE: "You're a fool. No weapon forged can stop me."
BUFFY: "That was then. This is now."
( Um, can anyone say "bad ass?" Buffy just had her world stolen from her, and she's still able to get up there and kick ass. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Buffy Fucking Summers. )
ANGELUS: "You can't do it. You can't kill me."
BUFFY: "Give me time."
( If this scene doesn't just tear your heart in two, you probably have no soul. Buffy's standing there, staring the monster that wears her lover's face eye-to-eye, and you know she's absolutely broken. The ending shot of her walking away with the water pouring on her is just so touching, and gut-wrenching. )
GILES: "It's not over. I-I-I suppose you know that. He'll come after you, particularly. His profile, uh, well, he... he's likely to strike out at the things that made him the most human."
BUFFY: "You must be so disappointed in me."
GILES: "No. No, no, I'm not."
BUFFY: "But this is all my fault."
GILES: "No. I don't believe it is. Do you want me to wag my finger at you and tell you that you acted rashly? You did. A-and I can. I know that you loved him. And... he... has proven more than once that he loved you. You couldn't have known what would happen. The coming months a-are gonna, are gonna be hard... I, I suspect on all of us, but... if it's guilt you're looking for, Buffy, I'm, I'm not your man. All you will get from me is, is my support. And my respect."
( This is probably the first scene where we see just how much Giles loves Buffy. He's willing to stand by her no matter what she did, not because he's her watcher, but because he loves her. We all knew this before this scene, but I think this is really the first time that they have a moment so profound. )
BUFFY: "But you didn't say anything. You just left."
ANGELUS: "Yeah. Like I really wanted to stick around after that."
BUFFY: "What?"
ANGELUS: "You got a lot to learn about men, kiddo. Although I guess you proved that last night."
BUFFY: "What are you saying?"
ANGELUS: "Let's not make an issue out of it, okay? In fact, let's not talk about it at all. It happened."
BUFFY: "I, I don't understand. Was it m-me? Was I not good?"
ANGELUS: "You were great. Really. I thought you were a pro."
BUFFY: "How can you say this to me?">
ANGELUS: "Lighten up. It was a good time. It doesn't mean like we have to make a big deal."
BUFFY: "It is a big deal!"
ANGELUS: "It's what? Bells ringing, fireworks, a dulcet choir of pretty little birdies? Come on, Buffy. It's not like I've never been there before."
BUFFY: "Don't touch me."
ANGELUS: "I should've known you wouldn't be able to handle it."
BUFFY: "Angel! I love you."
ANGELUS: "Love you, too. I'll call you."
( Don't get me wrong, I love Angelus. But the entire time I watch this scene, I'm always filled with a kind of hate for him that is hardly ever rivaled. Buffy gave up her virginity to Angel, they had a perfect night together, and because of it, Angelus emerges and destroys her life. I always feel nauseous watching this scene, because the pain is just written all over her face. Her entire world gets turned upside down and you watch every second of it. )
( I've done so many picspams with this scene in it. To me, it will always be one of the most heart wrenching scenes around. I'm not sure which is more so, even: when she looks at the cross and ring, and just breaks down, or when she dreams about her and Angel making love. The way she just sobs with abandon, curled into the fetal position -- it breaks my heart. Sarah Michelle Gellar, like so many other episodes, nailed this one on the head. She definitely has my sympathy. )
JOYCE: "Did I miss anything?"
BUFFY: "Um, just some running around and singing."
JOYCE: "I'm sorry I didn't have time to make you a real cake."
BUFFY: "No. This is good."
JOYCE: "But we're still going shopping on Saturday. So what'd you do for your birthday? Did you have fun?"
BUFFY: "I got older."
JOYCE: "You look the same to me. Happy Birthday. I don't have to sing, do I?"
BUFFY: "No."
JOYCE: "Well, go on, make a wish."
BUFFY: "I'll just let it burn."
( On a rare occasion, I'll be able to keep myself from just sobbing through the entire episode. But EVERY time this comes on, I break down. This is just such a defining scene for Buffy. It's a turning point for her character. It's her seventeenth birthday, she should be happy. But everything went wrong. That last line, paired with Buffy curling up against her mother and them sitting in silence just breaks my heart. It doesn't help that in the background, on the movie they're watching, you hear the actress singing "goodnight, my love, my moment with you now is ending." This entire episode is just heartbreakingly gorgeous, so it's ironic that such a simple scene can make such a huge impact. )